The Rise of Skandranon
by Kessrah
Summary: This story takes place before "The Black Gryphon," books and shows Skandranon’s first experience of real battle and bloodshed, as well as his first tastes of heroism and loss.
1. Prelude

**The Rise of Skandranon**

A FanFiction by Emily Hutchins

**Prelude;**

The Trilogy "The Black Gryphon" by Mercedes Lackey depicts the life of the Gryphon Skandranon during the ancient Mage War between the equally powerful rulers Urtho and Marr. Those stories took place after Skandranon's bravery and arrogance had won him many battles, as well as the position of the most respected, talked-about and feared Gryphon in the whole of Urtho's army. This short story is about Skandranon's first experience of real battle and bloodshed, as well as his first tastes of heroism and loss. Although this fiction is based on the character Skandranon, and the atmosphere created by Mercedes Lackey in these books during the 'Mage War', all additional characters, locations and plotlines were created by me. Thusly, I use the term, "FanFiction" to describe it.

This story involves various forms of magic and telepathy, but I have tried my best to define them within the story, and I have put my confidence in the reader to understand them. But, this story is mainly about Gryphons. The main characters are Gryphons. I realize that not all people are familiar with this fanciful beast, so I see it necessary to show you just what it is. Basically, a Gryphon is a cross between a feline and a bird, generally a lion and an eagle. Generally it is spliced in a way that it has the head and neck of an eagle, with cat-like ear tufts, and the head appears proportional on top of a feline-like body. It then may have the front legs of an eagle with the back of a feline, and of coarse it has large eagle wings with which it flies. In this story, they are also then enlarged to the size of a large horse.


	2. Test for Two

**The Rise of Skandranon**

**A FanFiction by Emily Hutchins**

**1**

:_Well, it could be worse_,: Skandranon mindsent his Wingmate. :_There could always be 80_:

Kessrah paced a few more steps foreword, raking her talons into the turf and watching the incoming Makarr warily.

"Just our luck, our first scout mission and we run into 8 full-armored Makarr. ...they have never been sent this far south of our boarder before ..."

Skandranon only grunted in response, his eyes clouded with calculation as he watched them fly closer.

"Well," Kessrah said solemnly, "luckily they are flying low over the trees and haven't seen us; if we slip out now we can get to Ralendor to call in reinforcements."

Skandranon snapped his beak shut; he had made his decision. "The only thing of interest miles around here is Lin'shala. It's right to the south of here, and they are heading straight for it. I don't know why they are here, but we would never get help in time; you know they couldn't defend themselves."

"No!" Kessrah growled, "Urtho created you with brains in your head to think with, not to get them smeared all over the countryside in some stupid move like this!"

Skandranon cocked his head to one side and opened his beak- the Gryphon version of a smile. "Well, we both know that I didn't have too many brains to begin with." He chuckled to his partner as his eyes blazed with excitement and confidence, "C'mon Kess, what's 8 Makarr? We can take them out easy."

With that he ran for the nearest clearing in the forest and launched himself into the air with powerful wing beats. Kessrah only had time to yell; "Damn you bird, if we live through this I want a medal from Urtho himself!" Before she too vaulted herself into the air, to bravely face their opponents.

While Urtho magically created his Gryphons with freewill, adaptability, and intelligence equal to any human, Marr's sick parody of them was his Makarr, who were, effectively, merciless killing machines. Although they were based on Urthos creations, and included their long talons, powerful wings and back legs, and tearing beaks, Marr preferred his creatures to be compliant, and therefore lack independence and ingenuity. But what they lacked in intelligence they made up for with deadly obedience, bloodlust, and strength. Luckily for Gryphons, their increased size compensated their speed and agility, and Skandranon and Kessrah would have to use this to their advantage;

Skandranon lifted himself into the air with a speed and ease that made him the envy of his peers, and the pride of his teachers at the small academy in Lin'shala where he and Kessrah had only so recently graduated.

: _These Northern lands are safe my tail; I guess Marr and his scum grow more confident with every passing day_,: Skandranon brooded as he gained altitude.

: _Thank the gods most of the students in Lin'shala are away on midsummer break, but Belkahn and Nall are still at the school... and their families. My teachers may be more experienced then I, but after that wing injury in the spring Belkahn wouldn't be much use, and Nall is one tough human, but he wouldn't be able to take on this many Makarr. And their children are so young... Gods I hope they are alright_.:

:_Snap out of it, Skan_: Kessrah mindsent him with a mental "whack". :_We cant think about them, not now_.:

:_Right, action_,: he mentally replied. :_Lets take out those two to the right with a double fall-tuck_:

With that Skandranon used some of his mage ability to throw up illusions around him and his partner, obscuring them from view for a few crucial seconds as they prepared for one of the well-practiced battle maneuvers that their school was known for. Kessrah gained more altitude, flying into the clouds over where two Makarr had foolishly wandered from their tight formation. Skandranon moved into his position only seconds away from the pair, gave the signal, and dropped their cover.

With a blood-curdling shriek Skandranon charged at the two Makarr, surprising them while Kessrah, like a tan bolt of lightning, plunged out of the clouds and used the force of her fall to crush one of the Makarr's skulls. As the first body fell, Skandranon snapped out his left wing; moving over and up, where he disemboweled the second before twisting out of striking range. The remaining six Makarr circled together, screamed challenges, and charged. Skandranon and Kessrah mock-charged as well, but at the last second Skan let loose a flash of magical light, which disoriented the group long enough to let him get back into position for another attack. As she swooped by, Kessrah took her opportunity, and neatly held out one talon, where it connected with one of the Makarr's unprotected throats.

: _3 down, 5 to go,_: Skandranon mindsent his partner optimistically.

As they traveled downwards and then swooped up in different directions, Skandranon attracted the attention of three Makarr while two others tailed Kessrah. He racked his mind for some plan, and when something occurred to him he pulled himself higher into the sky.

:_Well, this will be the stupidest thing I have ever done, leaving out that time I put nestles in Belkahn's dinner... Either this is going to work, or I am going to die very painfully_.:

As Skandranon reached his desired height he suddenly folded his wings into his body and plunged towards the earth, blasting right through the three Makarr, who hastily followed him. As the treetops began speeding closer and closer too him, he fought down his fear, and concentrated. :_Wait for it. Wait for it_...: At the last second he snapped his wings open and sailed upwards, while the slowest of his pursuers crashed into the tree canopy below. While enemy talons passed mere finger lengths from his flesh, Skandranon gained the advantage of higher ground, and used the second that he was above his enemies to his greatest advantage. With a twist of his wings he made a quick shot downwards, plowing his back feet into the back of the second Makarr, and its limp body fell through the trees. :_Hardest part over; only one left now_.:

As he righted himself in the air and turned to face his last opponent, Skandranon could only make out his rump; he was making a hasty retreat. He actually felt rather badly for the Makarr. They were raised from the time they were hatched in large camps, free of parents, love, or independence. They were trained only to obey orders and kill.

They would never appreciate a spring day, or enjoy the laughter of a friend, or the caress of a lover... Only the orders of their masters, the blood-rage of battle, and the violent heat of the mating season.

And Skandranon knew the cruelty of their masters. This survivor faced a fate worse then death for his cowardness, and yet could not bring himself to run from it...

Skandranon was happy to have lived through his last stunt, and let this last enemy go. He let out a jubilant screech of victory and craned his head towards the clouds. Then suddenly, he remembered. : _Kessrah...I saw her go into the clouds only moments ago... I should have seen her by now..._: He cried out her name anxiously, and what came in response was a momentary mist of black blood, followed by the mangled body of a Makarr. Kessrah swooped out of the clouds, her beak smeared with dark blood, and victory written in every line of her.

"Status?" She asked.

"Got two, one got away. You?"

"Got both."

As the battle-rage drained from their veins, they began to feel themselves again. "I saw that move you pulled." She chuckled. "You could have gotten killed, feather-butt."

"Yeah well, wouldn't be any fun for me if that option wasn't on the table, hu? And you're the one who scared half the life out of me by disappearing for candlemarks!"

"Clandlemarks! Hardly! It probably just felt that long to youuuu." Kessrah crossed her eyes and made little kissing noises, which prompted a branch in the face from Skan.

They both chuckled as they landed and checked for injuries. Upon finding that they were both fine, they flew back in the direction of Lin'shala, excitedly swapping stories of tactics, congratulating the other's moves, and being thoroughly happy to just be alive after their first encounter with Makarr.


	3. Strange Forest

After a few hours of travel, the enthusiasm and good humor of Skandranon and Kessrah had evaporated, leaving only two very tried, hungry and grouchy Gryphons.

"Gods... I feel like... Sketi!... I... don't know... how much longer... I can keep up... this pace." Skandranon panted through laboring sides.

:_The sun is going to set in about a candle mark... it should take us all night to get back to Lin'shala. _: Kessrah's mind-message was heavy with exhaustion. : _Unfortunately I don't think I can make it, either._ _Sketi, we will have to camp_.:

"Good! Then we can land... and hunt. I could eat... a whole horse"

:_and I know you could make good on that, too_. _Fine, I smell water; we will camp by that stream_.:

Skandranon threw himself onto the cool earth by the stream, sides still heaving. "We are in no condition to be chasing down the meat we need."

Kessrah replied- "Why not just scry for them, like Nell taught you?"

"Well, that's hardly fair to them, the poor dumb things wont have a chance... but I guess we don't have a choice. How does two deer sound?"

"That sounds wonderful!"

"Ill lure them right to you if you make the kill." Skan thought for a moment, and clicked his beak wickedly. "And I get the hearts."

"You get both?" Kessrah glared at him. "Fine, scry-away oh great Mage Feather-Butt."

Skandranon nodded and sat up, his eyes closed in concentration. Every living thing lets off its own signature energy; it was the ability of the Mage to see, control, and channel it. Skan switched to Mage Site, and was momentarily blinded by the amount of life and power in the seemingly quiet forest. He looked through the great network of magical paths and streams that overlaid the forest, and identified the great pillars of green light as the trees, the smaller ones as mere tufts of grass, and the various trials of yellow animal-energy. He separated the tendrils of energy, probing them and discovering their origins. He was starving; what he was looking for was deer.

:_There you are..._: Skandranon thought happily as he identified the energy traces of a group of deer. He only had to mentally follow the signal a couple of miles before he found the group, and picked out two deer with the weakest energy-output. These weaker ones would put up little fight against his tricks. He connected his minds to theirs, and began to whisper; : _come over here, the grass is so nice and green, and there's nice, cool water. You must be thirsty. Its safe over here, and better then where you are_.: After a little more coaxing, two faint-yellow shapes separated themselves from the white brightness of the heard, and began moving East.

Skandranon, now completely exhausted, switched back to normal sight and laid down on the moss with a faint 'thud.' "I'm finally glad that I sat through all of those boring, 'identify that energy trail' lessons with Nall. Well, there you go, M'lady, two deer, delivered straight to you; should be coming over that ridge to the West anytime now."

"Thanks Skan, I feel a little bad to be tricking them like that but..." and that was all he heard before he fell asleep.

By Skandranon's recollection, he was woken all too soon by the sounds of Kessrah eating. Gryphons preferred their meat fresh, raw, and with all of the bones and organs intact. They could be quite messy eaters, and the crunching bones and ripping flesh was enough to wake anyone up.

But instead of feeling revolt, his hunger overpowered fatigue, and he thankfully accepted his deer from Kessrah and began devouring it. She finished first, and began moving around in the brush suspiciously.

"What are you collecting wood for?" Skandranon asked mischievously. "The last time you tried to light a fire all you succeeded in doing was lighting my tailfeathers!"

"Ha, and what a great sight it was!" Kess gurgled a laugh, "to see you running around like a headless chicken, while screeching like this;" she bumbled around and did a quick impression, "was worth the trouble I got in!"

Skandranon was preparing a retort, but her eyes lost their humor, and she glance warily into the forest. "No, really, the deer were coming right over that ridge, and when I pounced on them I could swear I saw some weird things that had already been following them..."

"Weird things?" Skandranon's interest was roused.

"Yes, they kept folding in and out of the bush, it was hard to make them out. Very long and thin, with dark coloration. I have never seen anything like them, and I hope to never see them again; the stuff in this forest gives me the creeps."

Skandranon thought about this as he finished his meal; he knew that he and Kessrah were deep within the Pelagiris forest that made up the northern boarder of Ortho's kingdom. It was a largely uninhabited and ancient forest, with trees that could not be encompassed by the joined arms of ten men. There were strange plants that made sounds or moved, and all sorts of horrifying and unidentifiable animals, some of which seemed to have been melded to plants, other animals, or the earth itself. For the most part they were all harmless, but the magically warped land was totally unpredictable, and the stuff of nightmares. He and Kessrah had grown up alongside the forest, and although they did not fear it as greatly as most did, they both knew the stories. : _Merchants going into the forest and never returning, bodies found wedged underneath the roots of trees or flayed on branches, as if the tree had intentionally moved to kill them..._:

Once he was done eating he placed what intestines, meat and bones that he couldn't finish in a hole outside of their camp. He then put these nasty thoughts out of his mind, curled up for the night with his back to Kessrah's fire, and was careful to make sure his tail was securely between his legs.

Skandranon woke before dawn, and with his meal not yet fully digested in his gut, he took a brief walk to the hole where he had deposited their leftovers, and was surprised by what he found. When Kessrah awoke he insisted that she take a look too.

Kessrah carefully prodded the bones with one talon. "By the gods Skan, I hope we get out of here soon." Although the hole had been dug up, the remains had not been eaten. Whatever the creatures had wanted, it wasn't the food. But this was not the disturbing thing.

"They examined our garbage." Skandranon exclaimed. "Not just examined, they classified it!" The bones, skin, and intestines from each animal had been separated into different piles, and each had been laid out systematically, with the bones arranged by increasing size, and bits of skin placed together to form the torn sections of hide.

"They must be intelligent, and they even bothered to cover their tracks... I say its time to get out of here before they try something."

Agreed on this, Kessrah and Skandranon left at dawn, and by late afternoon spotted the small curls of smoke that identified Lin'shala village. As they got closer, the line of trees abruptly stopped, and they could make out the structures of their academy; it's main building, training fields, barns, and vast obstacle courses that stretched across the grassy hills. Kessrah had apparently forgotten that not all of the young students had left for midsummer break, and no sooner had she landed then two little fur-and-feather balls of energy pounced her on. The two fledgling Gryphon cubs of Belkahn playfully screeched, squawked and growled as little gray feathers flew everywhere, and Kessrah tried her best to fend them off.

:_Are you going to circle in the sky forever or could you help me with these daemons_?:

:_Oh, I don't know_,: Skandranon mindsent back, as he surveyed the scene below with humor, :_I just love to see how bursting you are with maternal instincts_!:

:_Brat_: Her mindvoice was singed with humor, but also annoyance. :_Fine, could you please help me with these _adorable_ little daemons_?:

:_Why gladly._: Skandranon belted out a roar and came thundering out of the sky. Although he did his best to make a showy landing, the appearance of 'cousin Skan,' caused the two Gryphon cubs to knock him out of the sky. Soon Nall's brood appeared as well, with the six human children running or tumbling after them with yells of welcome and excitement. Nall and his wife, Selah, soon followed. As the human children were literally crawling all over her, Kessrah jokingly yelled, "Why Nall, did you have yet another? You should start a child-farm soon!"

"Yes, yes, I know the joke," Selah laughed. "Us humans could make rabbits look unproductive if we tried hard enough!"

"Yes, if we tried hard enough..." Nall gave his wife a suggestive glance, and they broke out laughing while they greeted Kessrah and Skandranon further and pried their adoring children off of them. :_Ahh humans_,: Skan mindsent to Kessrah, :_always in season- at least they are a cute couple_.:


	4. Welcome Home

"Actually, Belkahn is in town organizing a search team for _you two_." Although Nall was very happy to see the two recently-graduated Gryphons safe, his anger was clear as he paced the worn floor of the main building. "I sent my daughter into town to get him, but we were understandably worried. That was a routine one-day scout mission, and when you didn't show up last night, we knew something went wrong. So," he eyed them suspiciously, "you two have some explaining to do once Belkahn comes back."

Although, there was no punishment coming from Belkahn. As soon as the old Gryphon saw the two safe, he rushed to them with open wings, and his mouth wide open in happiness, and gave them both good-natured body slams.

"I knew you two were going to come out fine!" Belkahn rumbled in his rough but friendly voice. "After all that training with me, you two could get out of anything. Now tell me what happened out there, I have to know all of the details!"

Once Belkahn learned that the Skandranon and Kessrah hadn't become held up with some fanciful game, (or as he had probably assumed, each other), his attitude became just as grave as that of Nall. Although he was happy for them on this victory, he was deeply troubled.

"Something isn't right." He grumbled. "Very not right. Makarr are unheard of over the Pelagiris."

Nall concurred, "You two have to seek a higher power with this information, I know that this encounter should not go unexamined."

"And look on the bright side," Balkan said to them with a hearty slap on the back, "What you two did was remarkable. Truly remarkable! I am sure that Urtho himself will be wanting to recognize you for you service."

"Oh, I don't know about that..." Kessrah's nares flushed, the Gryphon version of a blush.

"Why, maybe he will!" Skandranon raised his feathers in excitement. "After all, we took on 8 Makarr, just the two of us, and are still breathing."

Nall added; "yes, it is very impressive, especially from two Gryphons who only recently graduated from our humble country school!"

"You will leave for Ralendor in the morning then?" Belkahn suggested. "Good, then for tonight you still belong to us; you may be heroes, but Selah will need some help washing the stew pots tonight after dinner."

Skandranon and Kessrah could have declined from dinner entirely, but seeing the faces of all eight young ones as they told a more exciting version of their battle was well worth the pot scrubbing. Nall's two young boys calmed their roughhousing long enough to soak up the story; surely they would be using the battle tactics against each other for the next few days, even though they lacked wings. The four human girls made noises of statement and relief as the story proceeded, gripping the table and murmuring amongst themselves. And the two Gryphon fledglings stared at them with enthrallment as their eyes glowed.

:_Poor Balkahn_," Skandranon mused. :_ Those two will be wanting to re-enact the whole battle from the moment they can fly; glad I just put the ideas in their heads and don't have to worry about breaking up their play fights later!:_

At first light the next morning, Nall sent one of his trained messenger-birds ahead to Ralendor to inform the proper authorities who they could be expecting in a few days time.

The trip to Ralendor was at least five days travel from the secluded boarder town, even by flight. Skandranon and Kessrah were busy all morning packing special traveling harnesses with supplies. Despite all of their straps and pockets, the harnesses could only hold a few supplies, and even if they had a way to carry them, the Gryphons could not fly quickly with much added weight. Luckily, with a waterproof feather and fur coat and good hunting instincts, Gryphons could afford to pack light.

"Ok, I'll carry the fire starter and the dried rations if you carry the first aid kit."

"No way." Skandranon shook his huge head, "The bone setting kit in there is heavy; do we really need it?"

"You know that Nall would give us a reason to need it if we didn't." Kessrah sighed. "Fine, how about I carry the rain tarps too."

"Deal. And I'll bring some of Belkahn's healing herbs as well..." Skan spotted Belkahn coming around the corner to say goodbye, "...just in case we fall of a cliff and need to piece ourselves back together with foul-smelling pastes and leaves."

"Glad your thinking ahead." Belkahn joked. "I sent word to a few friends of mine that own inns along the way; you guys should have warm fires to sleep by at least some nights."

"Gods bless you." Kessrah said as she frowned disapprovingly at the Autumn rains outside.

After being smothered in hugs and kisses from Nall's children, as well as being ambushed by Belkahn's, Skandranon and Kessrah made their goodbyes and launched into the dismal, rainy skies.


	5. Great Company

The trip into Ralendor had passed, however slowly, without incident despite the wet and cold. Kessrah and Skandranon had been grounded for several days due to the sheets of icy rain that managed to find each and every seam in the waxed rain-tarps that the two were wearing. Every now and then a drop would make its way to the end of the hood protecting Kessrah's head and fall onto her beak, causing her to curse the weather most venomously. The front claws and back paws of the Gryphon were in no way designed to be sloshing through the muddy road, and after a day's worth of walking, the pair were coated in mud and filth; no wonder they weren't in the best of spirits.

Another drop fell, followed by another torrent of swears from Kessrah. Skandranon eyed her warily as he controlled his own complaints.

"You know," Kessrah hissed. "We have been on the road for three days in this muck, and have made almost no progress! Why if I had to walk everywhere..."

"You would get some boots made?" Skandranon joked.

Kessrah only grumbled in response.

"Well," Skandranon ventured, desperately trying to raise his own mood. "'With Midwinter showers comes Springtime flowers.' "

When Kessrah growled some rather rude suggestions for things that Skan could do with the flowers, he laughed politely and gave up any more attempts at making conversation.

After half a day more of unpleasant walking, Skandranon and Kessrah could make out the huge white stonewalls of the city through the fog, and as they approached a young man came out of the gates to welcome them.

Skandranon recognized a faint mental tickle as the man magically screened him.

"Ahh," the man said. "Skandranon and Kessrah I see! Captain Lornrie is waiting to speak to you." In response to their bewildered glances the man smiled and replied; "Your tale precedes you I think. Just follow the main streets to the tower."

Before they knew it, Skandranon and Kessrah had made their way through the strangely empty city and were within the walls of Mage Urtho's great tower. Although they had seen the tower a few times before from a great distance, they had certainly never dreamed of being inside it. The only people who entered were either politicians or high-up military commanders, and the two tried their best to hide what cowed country bumpkins they really were.

No sooner had they then a freckle-faced youngster appeared and began guiding them through the tangle of stairs and corridors. He stopped in front of two large wooden doors and asked them to wait outside. After only a few moments in which Skan and Kessrah hastily preen the road muck off their feathers, they were ushered inside.

"Enter!" The captain yelled coldly. "I heave heard of what you two have done, and you shall be commended for it, but right now I need to know the facts."

Kessrah nodded while Skandranon watched the Captain expressionlessly.

They were half a candlemark into reporting to the captain just where, when, and how they intercepted the Makarr, when they heard a knock at the door. A tall man in flowing white robes walked into the room. Although he had the wrinkles and long white hair of age, he moved with such fluidity that it seemed almost as if he were floating. Skandranon gazed at him quickly in mage site, only to be blinded by the radiating white mage-energy that flowed out of him. Before he had time to put two and two together, the Captain lifted his head up from his maps and shot out of his chair as if a bee had stung him.

"Urtho, sir." He saluted.

Kessrah and Skandranon only stared dumbly at the man as he asked the captain to sit, and then froze when he turned and smiled at them.

"Children, come here and let me see just what a good job Belkahn and Nall have done with you two featherballs!"

Since Urtho was the creator of the Gryphon species, the term of children was not insulting, but endearing to the two Gryphons, who instantly warmed up to him. Skandranon's natural confidence took over, and he took great strides up to Urtho, and tipped in a bow before him. Kessrah took two steps foreword and did the same.

"Now, now, enough of that." He told them. "I hear you have done something amazing, and that you two ran into some trouble up North, correct?"

"Yes," Kessrah stated as she took a few more steps forward. "I guess you could call it that."

The conversation carried on for another half a candlemark as all information possible was gleaned from the short encounter.

"So you are positive that there was no other troop activity nearby?" The Captain asked dubiously as he leaned over the table.

"To be honest, Sir," Kessrah replied, "we scouted no further North then that; we got out of there." The captain raised his eyebrows at her. "But there was nothing that indicated further troops, Sir."

"Understandably you scouted no further." Urtho added as he shot a glance at the Captain. "So, you two must have been exhausted, you were forced to camp in the Pelagiris, correct?" They nodded. "Anything further happen?"

"Well, I scried out two deer and, well... used mind-magic to trick them closer." Skandranon looked fairly embarrassed.

"Nothing to be ashamed of, as long as you don't become lazy making a habit of it." Urtho answered. "You are fortunate to have a teacher like Nall who teaches you how to use your Mage-powers so beneficially."

"Personally I think he would have rather that Nall was teaching him how to make things set fire," Kessrah laughed. "How do you know our teachers anyway?"

"Used to be well-known mercenaries, before the two started having nestlings. Belkahn and Nall opted to go up North and start a school; as many of my best have come from them, I became acquainted. Now, is that the end of it? You got up at first light and headed home?"

"Actually, there was something strange in the forest..." Kessrah said. "They seemed to have followed the deer, but then they didn't eat what we buried. If fact... it was clear that they were quite intelligent."

Skandranon agreed, "...yes, they seemed to have been examining us."

Urtho's face became troubled. "Could you give a physical description?"

Kessrah thought for a moment, then said; "They were long and thin, dark, and fairly large. It was hard to make out any more details though; they were very quick."

"Wyrsa then." Urtho murmured. "A Mage-construct, but not of my own making. Probably of some renegade wizard from the West." He leaned in closer to them. "Be careful of them when you are in the Pelagiris, they are very intelligent, and deadly. One is equal in speed and ferocity to 10 men, and they travel in large packs. A cross between a running dog and a snake; enlarged to the size of a calf. They have rows of razor sharp, poisonous teeth the length of my hand, and they track magic."

"They must have picked up on my Mage work and followed it to our camp." Skandranon thought aloud. "But what would they want with it?"

"They can feed on it." Urtho said gravely. "They can feed on both magic and flesh as you can feed on both gristle and fat; the fat is much more nourishing."

:Ahem: The captain coughed. "Urtho Sir, what are we to do with this situation?"

"How many troops can you spare to send there? Perhaps a small group?"

"No Sir," he replied gravely. "My whole Blue Wing is in the Eastern Pass, so are the Whites and the Yellows. The SilverHawks are still in the city, but they are being deployed as backup in a few days. "

"Marr is trying to push through the Mountain Pass on the Easter Boarder?" Skandranon asked.

"Yes, but we are fighting him back..." Urtho thought for a moment as he rose from his chair. "I am afraid we wont be able to deploy any more Gryphons to fly back with you- you two will have to investigate further on your own; and with Nall and Belkahn that's 4. Send word if you find anything, but by the sound of it those 8 Makarr were not a part of a larger force." Urtho wished them luck and swept out of the room.

Captain Lornrie got up to escort Skandranon and Kessrah from the room, and saw the disappointment and concern that showed even through their great excitement at meeting Urtho. "Be happy that he is sending you back at all." He said. "We need everyone that we can get right now, and with two that have proven to be such good fighters, I would abandon this investigation altogether and ship you two to the front lines. Good day."


	6. Heartbreak

"Can you imagine!" Skandranon sang as he flew alongside Kessrah. "We were briefed by Urtho himself, in the White Tower, and then we got to spend a night in one of the nicest inns in Ralendor!"

"And they bathed us!" Kessrah added happily as she did a quick air spin; just for fun.

Skandranon relished the ease of flight that comes from having clean feathers. Every bit of mud and grim had been picked and scrubbed from them. Their feathers and hair were then expertly dried and repaired.

"And they dyed our wing-tips." Skan added.

Kessrah chuckled and took a look at her own feathers. The general wear and tear of flying and traveling wears out the colors in feathers, and a dye job brought brilliant color back into them. She had her feather tips dyed back to a lustrous black, and Skandranon had himself died a golden yellow with red fringes. "I guess you like having pretty feathers huh, bird?"

"You bet I do." He called with proud smirk and pose.

"Oh, and its not raining!" Kessrah laughed. "We might as well make best of the time that we have with clear skies; will you be willing to tarnish your oh-so precious feathers in a race to that group of trees?" She stuck her tongue out at him and was off.

"You're on!" Skandranon yelled as he raced after her.

After several more days of blessedly clear weather, Skandranon and Kessrah were making good progress. They were within a day's fly of Lin'shala and began to recognize familiar landmarks in the countryside. But as they drew nearer, they began to smell smoke. It was nothing overly unusual; a farmer could have been burning his fields, some trees could have caught fire. But as they got closer to Lin'shala the smell only got stronger, and in this wet weather, a forest fire was out of the question. The two didn't speak, they didn't even exchange glances; keeping their growing anxiety to themselves. But when they were only half a candlemark from the village the air carried a scent more sinister. The smoke was laced with the scent of death. Skandranon and Kessrah could no longer block the emotions from each other; they only needed a second of eye contact to confirm the situation before they sped towards the village as fast as they could.

When they approached the outskirts of the secluded village, the signs of destruction were far too evident. Barns and houses had been burned, crops had been plundered and destroyed, and livestock was nowhere to be seen. But luckily, Skandranon had not yet seen any bodies.

As they landed in the village center all of the resolve and discipline that they had been trained with all but disappeared. They began frantically running through the barren streets, calling the names of those they knew and looking for any clues to where the inhabitants were.

His voice choked up with emotion, Skandranon mindsent; : _everything has been destroyed... but... there are so signs of violence, no signs of struggle. Perhaps they were able to escape whatever came here..._:

Kessrah abandoned her search thorough the charred rubble of the town's buildings and made a v-line straight for the academy at the Northern edge of town. Skandranon raced after her, until they were frozen with shock at what they found. Their school, their home, was no longer there. It had been burned to the ground. Kessrah lifted her head to the sky and let out an anguished gurgling wail, Skandranon remained silent. As he began to slowly make his way through the smoking rubble he could see signs that some defense had been mounted. :_No... that means they were here...: _The ashes and metalwork from barricades had been piled in front of doors, and weapons had been taken from their hiding places and could be found strewed on the floor. But still no bodies.

After a few moments Kessrah rejoined his side, and he sent her a mental image of what he had found. She nodded solemnly, and mindsent back; :_perhaps they were taken prisoner?_: Skandranon knew what she meant by that; if someone had taken them prisoner, then they could be rescued, and swift justice could be wrought on those who had harmed them. While making another examination of the ruins, the wind changed, and from the East the scent of smoke was the strongest. They walked to the crest of a hill and saw in the distance a foul pillar of black smoke. Skandranon sniffed at the ground, and although the overwhelming smoke clouded most smells, he saw on the ground a few small, fluffy gray feathers. They feathers of a fledgling Gryphon. His pupils dilated, and he let out a terrible shriek. He vaulted into the sky and raced to the source of the smoke, with Kessrah not far behind.

Skandranon lost all composure once he got to the sight of the bonfire. He vomited and collapsed to the ground, wailing and gurgling. Kessrah arrived only moments later and saw the fuel for the fire had not been wood, it had been bodies. The overwhelming carnage around the site combined with the sickly smoke made her dizzy, and she had to steady herself to stay upright. The bodies had clearly been taken here, executed, and then burned. All around were the signs of identification of her loved ones. The doll of one of Nall's daughters was trampled, feathers were lying in sticky pools of blood, and shreds of clothing and hair were strewn all around the site. Kessrah pushed around one gray feather in her palm while Skandranon cried in the background.


	7. Hunting Revenge

For what amount of time Skandranon and Kessrah dwelt by the ashes of their loved ones they could never say. In that surreal and perverse atmosphere time had no meaning. They comforted each other somewhat by being together, and after some time they were able to bury what scraps the fire had missed, daring not to communicate during their grisly task.

After some time an amount of discipline returned to the two, and they were able to think rationally about what happened, and what should be done next.

"In order to take over and destroy the whole town like this, they must have had at least double the men of those in the village; two to grab and restrain each person, and catch those that were running off." Kessrah paced a few steps back and forth.

Skandranon looked up from the ground. "Not necessarily. It's possible that they had Mages use mind magic to force them into surrender; take over their bodies. Every trace that this force left is laced with magic."

"What's clear is that they didn't want a single person to escape. Why would secrecy be so important, and why did they go after Lin'shala?"

"I don't know." Skandranon answered solemnly. "But this happened no more than a day ago; if we start tracking them now we might be able to catch up with them and get a better look."

"Their trail clearly leads to the North; why not just scry for them?" Kessrah asked.

"I can tell that some powerful magics were involved in this somehow, and if so, I don't want to be sticking my face down a snake hole by scrying for a mage more powerful then me. If he detects me, which he probably will, we will loose whatever cover we have. Besides, if he catches my mind while I'm out hunting for him, he would probably do some very nasty things to it." Skandranon spat, took a deep breath and flew North, back into the Pelagiris.

They both flew all night straight into the heart of the Pelagiris, deeper then they had ever been before. Then soon after daylight the great green sea below them vanished, and was replaced by horrifying valley of nothingness. Cut through the forest, as if by a huge knife, was a wide strip that stretched from the East and into the Southwest as far as the eye could see, and within it there were no living trees, animals or plants. It was completely devoid of life. Skandranon looked at it in mage site and it appeared as black nothingness, bordered by the lush green light of the living forest to each side of it.

"My Gods...." Kessrah breathed. "What could have done this...Marr?"

Skandranon growled. "This land was not burned or cut down; it had all of the life-energy sucked from it. Nothing will ever live or grow here, not for ages. I can't imagine the amount of Mages that you would need to tap this much energy..."

"Or the amounts of power that a forest as ancient as this would provide. And why would you need that energy?" When Skandranon shook his head, Kessrah replied, "fine then, we follow it West and see."

It didn't take too long before Skandranon and Kessrah found the end of the strip of dead forest. However, nothing could be seen at the end of it. There were no Mages, and no detectable use of the forest energy. Skandranon scoured the area with both natural and mage site, but could see nothing other than forest and trees. But then, through the corner of her eye, Kessrah spotted one single man in armor, apparently on patrol. The two Gryphons landed in a large tree, and waited. Another soon joined him, but there was no encampment to be seen. The soldiers moved back to where they came, and suddenly disappeared, as if they had walked behind a magical curtain.

Skan noted the magical residue that the two left behind, and once he knew what he was looking for, a small probe of energy caused the picture of forest in front of him to melt away. There, stretched out below him, was an enemy encampment that held a small army. He hissed in rage upon seeing his enemy. "Kess, can you see them?"

"See what?"

"That's what they have been using the energy for; to hide an army, right under our noses..."

Kessrah became understandably alarmed. "Skan, have you lost you mind! There is nothing there!"

"But there is," he hissed. "It can only be seen by mage site, and only when you are specifically looking for it, and right on top of it. Otherwise it tricks you into thinking that all you see is forest; it's just a huge illusion... Surely this is the slime that took Lin'shala."

She looked into his eyes searchingly for several moments, and then decided to trust him. "Fine, then, how many are there?"

Skandranon smiled at her in gratitude and then began reporting as best he could. "There are 30 rows of plain tents; soldiers. Then there are several considerably nicer ones, they must be for the mages." He searched as best he could, trying to count and identify all of the energy signatures from afar without following them, which would have clued off the Mages. "There are between 20 and 25 Mages, most of them Adepts. Then about 800 soldiers. The only other life is the livestock from..." He assumed that Kessrah knew what he was speaking of.

As another man stepped out of the illusion, Kessrah's eyes blazed with hate. "Well, I think it's about time we find out why they are here, yes?" Skandranon clicked his beak and nodded. She waited until the man wandered a little too far from his post before she swooped out of the tree in perfect silence. Before he could make a sound she had swooped him up and carried him back up into the boughs. A talon over his throat successfully kept him from alerting anyone else, and within a few minutes Skandranon was able to enter his mind and pick out all the information that he wished.

Skandranon had mercilessly shredded the man's mind in the process of searching for what he wanted. He could have done it with more finesse and a minimum of damage, but after he encountered the surface memories of what had been done to the villagers in Lin'shala, Skan did not find the man's sanity his primary concern. Kessrah gladly put the driveling mess out of his misery and hid the body up a higher branch, and then asked what Skan had learned.

"They are from Marr. They have been traveling West now for 4 months under magical cover. They planned to come out of the North and capture Ralendor through surprise, while other troops commanded our attention at the Eastern Pass. Those 8 Makarr were just scouts, but the one that I let get away told his..." Skandranon began to have difficulty speaking, but after a few breaths he was able to continue. "He told his commanders that they had encountered some hostility, from the only outpost for days around. Their Mages traced us back to Lin'shala... I didn't cover our tracks..." Skandranon had to take several more moments to regain control of himself. "Our village was the only one that might find them somehow. So... they made their way to the village and destroyed it, killed everyone..." He then lost the ability to speak coherently.

Kessrah did her best to soothe him, and after some time prompted; :_Skan, Skan, did you find out when they are going to head South, when they are going to attack_?:

He nodded his head and mindsent, :_They are waiting for all of the troops to be out of the city, they were going to charge as soon as they got word_.: He regained composure, and looked to the sky with pain-filled eyes, thinking.

"Kess, you have to get back to Ralendor. You have to get there as fast as you can to warn them. I'll have to stay here and trace their movements."

Kessrah's feathers rose defensively "If you think I'm leaving you out here you're crazy!"

Skandranon flashed a faint grin. "Who said I'm not crazy?" She looked at him anxiously. "Kess, you leave now and warn them. It will take weeks for troops to get back to the city. I'll stay here, and when these men start moving, I'll get to Ralendor first and let you know how much time you have left to prepare defenses."

She didn't buy his story, and stared stubbornly at him.

"...If you have to prepare defenses. I have a plan."


	8. Allies

Skandranon had seen Kessrah disappear into the evening sky over a candlemark ago. Thick gray clouds still loomed over the treetops; the Winter rains weren't over yet. He hoped that she would beat these new clouds to the city, but he couldn't worry about that now. With so many mages he couldn't use any large magics; they would be detected immediately. :_Well, time to do this the old fashioned way_.:

Skandranon glided to the forest floor and landed on soundless back paws. He then stuck his beak to the ground and began sniffing. He knew that he was being watched, and his query wouldn't evade him forever; he was counting on them confronting him.

After three candlemarks of following thin scent trails and rusting bushes that wove through the forest endlessly, a thin dark figure solidified against the verdant forest and stared at the Gryphon with cold, sulfur-yellow eyes. It lowered its arrow-shaped head and snapped, revealing a formidable line of teeth. Skandranon stared at the creature as it wove in and out of the foliage, both terrified and hypnotized by the slender form. It looked like an emaciated greyhound crossed with a serpent; with black scales protecting its body and a small head perched upon a horribly long, thin neck. It hissed and made a lunge at him; it was amazingly fast. But Skan managed to dodge and stared into the Wyrsa's eyes unwaveringly. He attempted to communicate with it.

: _You wonder what I want with you, yes?_: It lifted it's head and stared back; clearly it understood him. Skan didn't waste any time.

: _You have noticed the humans that have come through here. Surely you have also seen how much they have destroyed, and how much power they wield_.: At that the creature's eyes flashed, and its near expressionless face betrayed it's desire. : _You lust after the magic; why have you not taken it?: _The Wyrsa's tail twitched suspiciously, but it did not bolt.

: _I learned from a certain soldier that some of your pack has run into these humans earlier, and that the encounter did not go favorably for you. Do you fear them, is that why you haven't sought revenge?_: He paused.

: _They may have great numbers, but they are weak. All that you need is a little... help. All you need is a way to distract them, to shatter their ranks, and I am willing to help you do that and claim all of that energy._: The Wyrsa's eyes narrowed and it watched him with consideration.

:_Because, you see, these humans are enemies of mine as well, and I believe it is time we put the fear of the Pelagiris back into them.:_

Skandranon waited in his perch and examined his substantial talons. A week earlier he had used the cover of a nighttime storm to sneak into the enemy camp and herd the livestock into the forest; naturally they had sent men out looking for them. Those men had never returned. And strangely, supply wagons had not arrived either. But without any fresh supplies 800-odd men grow hungry quickly, and would be sending out hunting parties. That was what Skan was waiting for.

: _Remember_,: Skandranon told himself, :_for every one that you take down, that is one less that is attacking Ralendor, one less that can hurt people like they did those in Lin'shala!_:

The Wyrsa were already in position, forming a living net out of hearing range from the camp. There were 14 individuals in this pack, plus another 7 that were recruited from a neighbor. It was amazing how so many of the creatures could be in the forest, yet you would never hear or see them until it was far too late.

A shape appeared in the forest below him, and Skan alerted the Pack leader with a mental signal. A nearly undetectable series of clicks and hisses followed; everyone was ready. There were 8 men in this group, lightly armored, and hopefully many more were dispersed throughout the woods. Once he was sure that screams would not be heard in the camp, Skandranon leapt out of the tree, and onto his unsuspecting prey below.

If the Wyrsa were not already known for their dangerousness and ferocity, Skandranon would have been utterly shocked by what effective killers they were. :_Before I even reached the ground the two Wyrsa in my area heard my descent and sprang on the men with amazing speed. Before they could reach for their weapons the majority of them were dead...: _

Similar success had been made throughout the forest, and after the bodies were either eaten by the Wyrsa or hidden in the endless forest, 30 men had been killed, and luckily no one had escaped to say exactly what had attacked them. The thinking behind Skan's plan was not just to pick off their enemies; it was to terrify them. And an unknown enemy lurking in the ancient forest was worse then one that you could face and fight. To support this, Skan placed illusions similar to that which was covering the army on each Wyrsa and himself, so that to any scrying mage they would appear nonexistent.

Soon the fright of their vanished comrades would give way to hunger, and perhaps the group would send out one more deployment of men, this time in larger groups, and more heavily armed. Or maybe they would try it twice. Really it made no difference when the soldiers gave way to fear; either they foolishly go into the woods to get killed, or fearfully starve in their camp. Either way, it was only a matter of time before the army was weakened to a point where they could be disbanded with one strike.


	9. Fight for All

For three weeks Maar's secret encampment was plagued by undetectable enemies. No supply wagons had arrived in over a moon, and although mages or soldiers found no signs of enemies, most everyone who left camp never came back. Occasionally hunting parties would come back successful, and these saw no ill signs in the forest, but most everyone that was sent out for scouting or hunting missions just disappeared. Men who offered to go steal food in the countryside never returned. Most of what was scrounged together had to be given to the mages to keep them strong and able to direct the energy from the forest into their illusion-spell; this left the average soldier even hungrier, and as the days passed men began to go mad in the struggle between their fear of the forest and the hunger in their bellies. It was then that they received the signal. It was finally time to come out of hiding and march on Ralendor.

"Sketi!" Skandranon spat as he read the excitement on the soldier's faces. "We have only gotten three mages- and that was by luck, and ¼ of the soldiers. They may be tired, but as soon as they get into the countryside they can restore themselves on pillage. We need more time!" The Wyrsa to the side of him sniffed, and hissed. : _Pack leader, they will be gone by tomorrow_.: Although Skan could not communicate with the Wyrsa using words mind-to-mind, they could communicate using emotions. The Pack leader sent an image of a swirled black-orange; a troubled, questioning attitude.

: _They are planning to leave the forest, once they are out in the open we will have no advantage against them; they will kill us easily with bows and arrows, like those two that they caught in that clearing_ .: Skan sent a mental image of what this would be like, and the Pack leader's thoughts rippled in an orange-red; angry, but wondering what to do about the situation.

: _We have instilled fear I them for the last moon, and it is time that we apply that fear as much as we can. We must strike tonight; we can't let them leave the forest alive, or all of our previous efforts would have been a waste_.:

The night of their jubilant announcement to come out of hiding, the woods were no longer just sinister. They became openly hostile. All night the men were kept awake by eerie calls in the woods and barrages of rocks and nuts falling from the treetops above. When men started going missing when they stepped from the fires to relieve themselves, the mages set up a barrier that nothing could penetrate. But they couldn't keep out the sounds. The howling, screeching, hissing of strange monsters and the screams of their comrades filled the night.

Skandranon watched the men wearily. After being kept up all night they were clearly shaken and tired, but more than anything they wanted to leave the Pelagiris and never turn back. So, he watched them don their armor in the cold morning air and prepare themselves for the three-day march to the edge of the forest. They could pick off many of the 600-odd soldiers with time, if they could scatter them, but the Mages were keeping the men disciplined. Skandranon knew that they still had 19 Mages, and after last night's show they would be working hard to keep all of the men completely locked-down with protection and barrier spells. : _Fine, let them waste their energies now. They don't realize how deep into the forest they are, and we have time to wait_.:

And so it commenced. For three days and two nights Maar's secret legion passed through the forest with little difficulty. There were no deaths in the night, no signs of threat, and during the day the troops traveled safely under the protection of the Mages. But there was one problem; there was very little to eat. Perhaps they assumed their Mage energies or large group scared off game, and that this section of dry forest sustained few edible fruits and roots to begin with. Whatever they assumed, their frightened minds succumbed all too easily to the assumption of security. As for the Mages, with little to eat their energies waned with every passing candlemark, and the Mage-Barriers became smaller and smaller. All that Skandranon and the Wyrsa were waiting for was for them to drop completely.

Skandranon paced along a huge bough above that night's chosen campsite. Although the Mage barrier was impenetrable to the physical, Skan watched it anxiously through mage site. The soldiers might not have known it, but they were within a day's march to the edge of the Pelagiris, and Skan was likewise nearing the end of his opportunity to stop them. If they reached the countryside tomorrow, Skan would be forced to turn for Ralendor first thing, and abandon all people within the path of the bitter and hungry soldiers. Luckily, troops from the East Pass may reach the city in time to intercept them, but what could they do to protect those living in the countryside? Images of the atrocities at Lin'shala flashed before his mind, and he grated his beak in frustration.

He watched one of the dim white blips, which was a Mage, sitting on a log and looking thoroughly exhausted. If only he could get them to drop the Mage Barrier tonight, the Wyrsa and he would have a good chance of surprising at least some of the Mages. Then a previously unconsidered option came to him; couldn't he use scrying to convince them a little more forcibly? Skandranon almost dismissed the thought outright; sure he had tricked a sick deer once or twice, but taking on the mind of a powerful Mage? By doing this Skan was leaving an open door, and the Mage could easily rip his mind to shreds, kill him outright, or possess his body.

But as another candlemark passed Skandranon simply didn't care anymore. He had to try. He alerted the Pack leaders; : _Get ready to go for the Mages, either that barrier is coming down now or I want you all to abandon this pursuit by daybreak_.:

Although the barrier would not allow magic or physical things to pass through it, the mind could not be stopped as easily. Skan concentrated, honed his mind into a point and slowly passed through the barrier. He went for the weakest looking mage and quietly, so quietly, began to whisper into his mind; : _You are exhausted, aren't you? Keeping that barrier up day and night for those soldiers? And so little food... Aren't you drained? You are hungry, so hungry. Nothing is of threat here, shouldn't you take a break? Aren't you tired?: _

Skandranon dared not breathe as he uttered the words in his mind voice. Every part of his being was concentrating on making his mind voice the same color, texture and sound as that of the Mage. Trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. : _Its time for a rest now, its time for a rest now_...: Suddenly, the small part of his mind that was still conscious to the world around him alerted him to change. He quickly pulled his mind out of the Mages in time to see the barrier shrink a little more; one Mage had stopped contributing his energies. The other Mages had clearly noticed this too, and an argument soon erupted. Skandranon found the one who was most abject to letting down the barrier and began to slowly, soothingly put doubt into his mind. : _He is lazy. You have to be careful. What would Marr say if you should fail? But you haven't seen any danger, and you are very close to your goal. Can't the soldiers watch themselves for just one night? They are here to protect you, not the other way around_.:

Skandranon began to see the success of his trickery as the loudest Mage began quieting his arguments. After only a few more words of discussion the Mages seemed to come to an agreement. And then, in one wonderful moment, the mage barrier dropped. Skan held his breath and clamped his beak to keep from shouting out in happiness. Luckily the Wyrsa had no such problems containing their emotions, and with their goal so close, they patiently waited in the brush for the Mages to sag into sleep.

About half a candlemark later, Skandranon crept on his belly behind one of the Mage's tents. The moon was barely visible above the thick tree canopy above, and a light wind masked whatever clumsy steps he may make. Wings pressed close to his body, he froze, and listened. The rustle of a Wyrsa to the far right of him, the breathing of a sleeping enemy Mage. Skandranon filled himself with all of the hate that he felt towards this man, towards this army. : _How dare they try to sneak up on Ralendor, how dare they try to kill Urtho? I will show you the fury of a Gryphon, I will show you all the pain you have caused me._:

Battle-rage pumping in his veins, Skandranon leapt from the ground and, talons extended, slashed the tent with one swipe. The Mage began to turn in his bed, began to realize that he was being attacked, but it was too late for him to defend himself. The Gryphon took one strike at him through the darkness and ended it all.

One scream escaped from a tent to Skandranon's right, and the sounds of soldiers approaching became unignorable. Skan labored against the air and propelled himself into the sky in time to avoid enemy blades. He spotted a Mage in his nightclothes among them, and he gained what height he could in the treetops. He pushed himself off of the trunk of a tree, catapulting himself at the Mage, and he slashed him along with several soldiers as he barreled by. He landed in a roll and twisted behind a tree to avoid singing arrows, before disappearing into the darkness. Shouts and cries echoed from the camp as murderous shadows of Wyrsa twisted between trees and slinked out of sight.

After hisses and screeches reunited the Wyrsa far from the camp, Skandranon was happy to find that they were all unhurt. Skan took a quick look from the shadows and found that the men were in a state of panic, and that no Mages had survived the attack. After the Mages were killed, their energies and those of their broken spells begin to settle around the forest, and Skan did his best to gather most of it up. The Wyrsa then descended on the magically charged spot, and thirstily began absorbing the energy. To Skandranon's mage-site he saw the Wyrsa transform from a medium yellow glow to a radiating white-yellow of amazing health, speed and strength. The Pack leader approached him and mindsent an image of the energy and the released livestock, as well as the men, along with the rippling-yellow of contentment. And Skan knew why; the soldiers had depleted all game within leagues of where they had been camped, and the energy and livestock would sufficiently help restore their lost resources. As for the soldiers, in the morning they began making a retreat East back towards the lands of Marr. But the trip was long, and the Pelagiris could be hazardous; this time Skandranon made sure to arrange that the last survivors of this battle would not make it back to their commanders alive, and the Wyrsa were happy to help.

Skandranon began to make his long flight back to Ralendor. He was looking forward to a warm meal, the company of Kessrah, and the calm of knowing that at least for now, things were safe. :_And who knows, maybe old Captain Lornrie will have something to say about my accomplishments, huh?_: "Ha!"

Kessrah may have been the last living member of Skandranon's original family, but he would soon forge a wonderful and famed life for himself in the armies of Urtho.

As for Marr, he never heard a word from his secret Northwestern army, and no attempt was made on an invasion of such again; it was as if they had been swallowed up by the Pelagiris forest itself.


End file.
